A happy by-product of big training for the events this fall is improved performance all around.

I can’t say my performance would have been better if I used a distance-specific training plan. I’ve never been that technical. I’m a volume guy. I feel like running a bunch of miles is the best way to train. I’ve been running a lot. Not as much as I would like, but a lot. And I’ve been getting nice results.

The corporate challenge 10k was spectacular. I would have preferred to do the half marathon, honestly. I didn’t get to choose. I’m okay with it. The teammates that ran the half ran so fast! Everyone on the team did well. I feel honored to be included. I did my best. Literally the best 10k result so far. I beat my previous best by 2 minutes. I was disappointed at first. I thought I could win the whole thing. The competition was so tough! The course was so tough! I gave it everything I had and finished in 26th place. Very respectable finish.

Still riding the high of the great 10k finish, Sydney and I ran the whiskey run 5k. I was torn between racing and running with Sydney. We decided to run to the start. That way we could both enjoy some of the whiskey samples. Or friends from the hash house harriers showed up. That was a nice surprise. I decided if should race and give it everything I had. Competition was fierce, but a lot of the real speedy people were at a different race. I started too fast, as usual. I held on to the too-fast pace for the first mile, but I needed to stop there on account of a family of geese crossing the street. I was still near the front. There was a young guy who had first place locked up. I still had a shot at a top spot. I ran out of gas at the water stop. Luckily, I had enough time to catch my breath and attack the downhill. My record for a 5k is too fast to beat, but I did get a 20-minute finish. That was good for 7th place, and first in my age group.

Some more races are coming up, and I’m still training very hard. I’m excited to see what happens!